Applying for colleges and entering college can be exceptionally difficult on the term that you need to choose a major before arrival to school (undeclared is a choice, too!). That little dropbox with the extensive list of majors can be intimidating, I know. But I have a great piece of information for you… if you don’t know what you want to major in, it’s ok! Nazareth has a number of solutions to this so-called “problem.”

One suggestion that I have for you is to choose the major that interests you most. I find this to be most evident considering this is what I did. I came into Nazareth College as an English and Inclusive Education major, however, I decided to change my major in the Fall of 2016 and was taking classes for my current major (communication and media) by Spring 2017. And guess what? I’m not behind in any of my required courses or credits! When applying for colleges, I chose the major that interested me the most and stuck with it my freshman and (half of) my sophomore year. I liked education as a major, but personally, I did not love it, so I found something that interested me more. I have lots of friends who love the education program at Naz but it never felt like quite the right fit for me.

You should genuinely enjoy your major.

Here’s a piece of information that I think you should remember — you should love your major. If you don’t end up loving your major for whatever reason, Naz has tons of resources to help you find out more information about other majors. I simply contacted a professor in the department I was interested in, and that professor pointed me in the right direction from there. Even if you decided to stick with your current major, it’s nice to know the information is available and be aware of all your options 

If my first suggestion doesn’t sound like the best option for you, here’s another! One word: undeclared. Nazareth College has a tremendous program for students who are unsure of what they want to major in. Having an undeclared major is more common than you may think. Naz makes being undeclared worry-free by offering various classes that allow students to “test the water” in different areas of study. Some of these classes are necessary for the core at Naz as well, so even if you take one and decide that major isn’t for you, you’ll still have satisfied a requirement. You may find you love a subject that you didn’t have a lot of experience with prior to college, such as religious studies, sociology, or anthropology, to name just a few examples. Naz also offers a great program called GEM, guided exploration of majors, which is an individualized program for undeclared students seeking a perfect-fit major or combination of academic programs from among 60 majors and more than 70 minors. This program was created to help students find a place where they feel confident, excited, and well prepared to follow a career direction.

The expectation to know what you want to major in, what you want to do with that major, and overall what you want to do with your life can be stressful. For any general 18-year-old student transitioning into the college life, this can be scary. And for me, it certainly was. Hopefully, my suggestions have made the whole process seem a little less intimidating.

Here’s a helpful link that provides information about the majors that Naz has to offer. Good Luck!

Also, check out Karah and Nicole’s stories of selecting their majors (and minors)!